Create
a short story with your friends this summer
by having a STORY PARTY!
Writing
the Stories:
- Print these
instructions.
- Invite lots
of Kids!
- You
will need paper. It can be scratch paper, colored, whatever you can
find. Each person needs 1/2 the number of pieces of paper as there are
participants. That means if there are 10 people, each person need 5
pieces of paper. If there is an odd number of people, add 1, then take
1/2 of that number. For example, 5 people, adding one brings it to 6,
then 1/2 the paper means 3 pieces.
- When
you get your pieces of paper, cut each sheet in half and staple or paperclip
the pieces together...so that you have a little book.
- Each
person starts out with their own blank book and pen/pencil. If each
person can have a different color of pen that would be great, but not
necessary.
- Set
a timer for 10 minutes.
- At
the start of the timer, each participant starts writing a story. It
can be ANYTHING! The person who starts it, gets to create the setting,
the characters, or anything else they can think of. Be creative! There
is no wrong way to do this! If 10 minutes is too much time or too little
time, adjust it to your liking.
- When
the ten minutes are up, STOP WRITING. Even if in the middle of a sentence,
STOP.
- Now,
everyone, pass their book to the person on their right.
- Give
everyone a couple of minutes to read the start of the story they have
in front of them and set the timer again for 10 minutes.
- Once
everyone is finished reading, start the timer, go to the next blank
page and start writing. This time they start where the last person finished,
but on the next (blank) page. They get to continue the story that was
already started by someone else, but can add new characters, a new twist
or turn, or put them in a new setting...whatever! No limits, just have
fun! Make it funny if you want, or sci-fi, just whatever!
- Once
the 10 minutes is up, STOP WRITING again.
- Now
pass the books to the person on the right again.
- This
time, only take time to read the last page that was written. (Don't
take time to read the whole story)
- Now,
set the timer for 10 minutes again and start writing, on the next blank
page!
- Do
this as many times as there are people. Each person should have a blank
page to write on in each book that is passed to them.
-
When the book that each person started gets to the person on their left,
make that the finishing 10 minutes. That means that the story they started,
gets finished by the person on their left. (FYI-You should be on the
last page of the book, or if there was an odd number of participants,
the next to the last.) By the time this is finished, each person should
have had the opportunity to write a different portion of each story
from beginning to end.
- When
finished, pass the stories once more to the right; each person should
now have the story they started off with. If you don't want to illustrate
your stories, go to number 24.
Illustrating
the stories:
- If
you liked this activity and would like to illustrate or draw pictures
to match each of the pages, start off by passing the book you started
to the right. Each person should not have the book they started. The
idea is to have a different person draw a picture to each page of the
story.
- Now
give yourselves 10 minutes on the timer, turn to the 1st page and start
drawing.
- When
the 10 minutes is up, STOP.
- Pass
the book to the right, just like the writing exercise, now, set the
timer for 10 minutes again and draw the 2nd picture.
- You
get the idea, keep passing the books to the right until each page of
the story has a picture to go along with it. Each participant should
end up drawing the last picture in the book that they wrote the beginning
of the story.
- Now,
everyone give a big round of applause for a job well done! Each person
take a turn reading the story and showing the pictures of the book that
they started. Enjoy observing how diverse the writing and drawing styles
are and the creativity each brings into the story. This is so much FUN!
PlanetGiggle.com
Gift Ideas
If
you like to write stories or know an aspiring young writer, we have
the perfect gift for her/him. It is called our Writer's Dream Box.
It includes fun gel pens, calligraphy pens, parchment paper, a blank
book for them to write in as well as some other goodies. If you would
like to take a look at it, click
on this link and it will take you to our GearUP (product) page.
All
activities brought to you by PlanetGiggle.com, © 2003. All activities
may be reprinted with written permission from PlanetGiggle.com. Email
us
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